Run From Your Problems
by prouvaires
Summary: -you were always much better at running.- CleoZane.


**Disclaimer: **I don't own H2O. I'm just screwing with the characters for no monetary gain whatsoever.

**Rating: **T

**Pairing: **CleoZane

**A/N: **Thought I'd try an H2O fic, seeing as there aren't many around. I think it sucks, though, so be warned.

--

He's like the fire to your water, the earth to your air. The night to your day, the dark to your light.

Or maybe you're the dark. It's hard to tell sometimes. You know, those moments where the full moon shines down onto your skin and you can do _anything _and the rightness of being _you _and being in the water just fills you up until you feel you might burst.

See, he has this smile that _shouldn't _make your insides melt (but it does) and these eyes that rake you up and down and bring you to pieces (and he does it all without saying a word). In another time, another world, you would be perfect. Yin and Yang. Together forever.

But, the thing is, you _are _living in the here-and-now and he's your best friend's _boyfriend _and besides you're with Lewis, right? (Yes, he is on the other side of the world – but you promised him forever, remember?) He's sarcastic and rude and insensitive but he's _hurting _on the inside (don't ever tell anyone that) and you know that underneath all the macho-stuff he's just a little boy who has a father who expects him to be a man when really he just needs some time to be a child.

"Earth to Cleo!" a voice calls into your ear, and you dislocate yourself back into reality as Rikki snaps her fingers in front of your face. "Wake up, sleepyhead," she teases, giving you a (not-so-gentle) shove on the shoulder. Bella, on your other side, is a little more forgiving.

"Late night?" she asks sympathetically, and the lies roll off your tongue much more easily than they used to (you know, before you fell for your best friend's boyfriend and all that).

"Yeah, I was up thinking about Lewis. I miss him."

(And you do – but because you miss the familiarity and ease more than because you miss _him_.)

"Well, I know just the thing to take your mind off things!" Rikki announces loudly, pulling you to your feet with a tug on your arm. "Zane and Will are going to meet us over on Mako. We're having a movie-session in the moon pool. It'll be fun!"

She says the last with such unusual enthusiasm that you shrug.

"Sounds great," you agree lamely. Bella, following behind, gives you an apologetic-looking smile and tilts her head as if to say "I tried to talk her out of it."

You smile because people ask less questions and follow them down to the beach, entering the water gracefully. The worries quieten as the waves close over your head, and you meld with the water for a couple of milliseconds before your tail appears and it feels so much _better _than legs that you smile genuinely and with a powerful flick you're _flying_.

All three of you enter the moon pool at the same time, surfacing to find Will and Zane arranging pillows and rugs on the sand, Zane tinkering with a projector that he's probably borrowed (stolen) off his dad.

"You made it!" Will exclaims with delight, rushing over to heave Bella out of the pool, helping her lie out on the ground to dry off. Zane abandons the projector and heads over to Rikki.

(And you hope it's only you that notices how his eyes meet yours and darken momentarily before he turns his attention to her.)

You're left to scramble out of the water as best you can, and your tail churns up the water as you drag yourself onto the sand.

"Let me give you a hand," a deep voice suggests huskily in your ear, and you ignore the innuendo as his hand closes around yours and he shifts you further forward until you're fully out of the water. Only then do you allow your eyes to shift up and meet his.

"Thanks," you say grudgingly, brushing your hair impatiently out of your face as he hovers over you. "You want something?" you ask crossly as he still fails to move, leaning your head back to stare up at the sky through the crater.

"Yes," he says, leaning down to whisper in your ear. "You."

You merely stare at him, drawn to him as your breath shortens and your chest heaves and maybe you should do something (but you _can't_) and then he's being knocked aside by his girlfriend.

"Steam time?" she asks happily, and her hand is extended before you can rescramble your thoughts and make sense of everything.

As the water on your skin and in your hair evaporates away, you catch sight of his (dark) eyes staring at you, and probably it would freak you out if it didn't make your heart thrum like a chainsaw.

"Thanks," you say when you're back with legs again, and she smiles.

"Any time."

Then she wanders over to Zane, pulling him in for a hungry kiss as you sigh, avert your eyes and flop down on the rug. The other four eventually join you, but seeing them all curled up around each other only reminds you how _lonely _you are and suddenly you realise you're about to cry.

"I need …" you stammer out before you're on your feet and diving into the water. You hit the pool with a splash, slicing under. You're swimming out of the moon pool before you're even fully transformed, aware of someone following you out. You hit the open ocean and you're about to power away when a hand catches onto your tail.

You turn slowly to find Zane staring at you through the water, silver bubbles dancing up from his mouth to the surface. He, very slowly, reaches out to take your hand, and then gently drags you up to the air.

"What are you _doing_?" you inquire (trying for anger but failing) as he releases your hand, bobbing on the surface.

"I can't do this any more," he explains hoarsely, and you're going to ask what he means when suddenly his lips crash onto yours and your hands are fisting in his hair of their own accord as your tail powers gracefully, keeping you both afloat as his mouth moves against yours. (Maybe this is what heaven feels like.)

But then your mind crashes back into your brain and you push him away, staring at him in horror as your hand flies to the mark he's left on your neck.

"What about Rikki, Zane?!" you cry, and he's reaching out to you when you flip and in two seconds you're swimming faster than you've ever swum before, shooting through the dark water like a meteor, your bright orange tail like fire in deep space as you let the ocean take you miles away from _him _and them and the full betrayal of your deed_._

(You've always been much better at running from your problems than facing them.)

--

**A/N: **Please don't favourite without reviewing – thank you!


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